


Unexpected Heroes

by GoofyGoldenGirl



Category: Ben 10 Series
Genre: Fandom, Other, Reflection, TV Show, end of a show, show finale, thank you letter, thoughts, what this show has meant for me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-14
Updated: 2014-11-14
Packaged: 2018-02-25 08:47:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 790
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2615621
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GoofyGoldenGirl/pseuds/GoofyGoldenGirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <em> How could a show about a kid with an alien watch hold any meaning for the author? Here I explain.</em>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	Unexpected Heroes

It was August 2009. My family was having a saturday lunch at my aunt's. It was too cloudy and it looked like it might rain so we ate inside. I remember it clearly; how everyone was dashing back and forth from the dinning room table to their spots in the living room, the TV blaring from the little den. It was turned on to Cartoon Network. When I was a kid, I never watched Cartoon Network. It wasn't that I did not know of its existence, but that Nickelodeon was the channel that was the easiest to get to. Cartoon Network was something I would watch over at my friends' house. I had seen some shows here and there, but none stood out.

I had taken my seat on the couch. A show called _Ben 10 Alien Force_ was about to start. They were marathoning the first six episodes. A sic-fi show. I had never been into sic-fi, always was more into fantasy. I didn't have the highest of hopes.

Then the first episode started. The main character was a boy my age, whose grandfather had gone missing. There were alien attacks and conspiracies to take over the planet. The boy rose to the occasion and did something that he had not done in five years: he put on the watch, The Omnitrix that allowed him to change into different alien forms and fight those against him. And with the help of several characters, he went off to face the threat against his family and the earth.

I was hooked. I sat in front of the TV, not wanting for a second to advert my glance. I had never had been this invested in a show before, not even as a kid with _Rugrats_ , _Spongebob_ , or even _Avatar The Last Airbender_. When the six episodes were over I wanted more.

I began the long process of catching up. It took a year to be completely caught up with both the first series and Alien Force. I was only able to watch the new episodes on TV and the older ones on youtube. I wasn't aware at that time of websites that put up episodes like WatchCartoonOnline, and Netflix wasn't around. But that wasn't a big deal for me then and I was willing to take as much time as I needed to catch up. 

It was the plot and the characters that grabbed my attention and they inspired my creativity. I began to write fanfiction, which was something I had been doing for years, but did not know had a name until then. I explored situations I could see the characters in, present events in the shows and backstories from their point of view, and how they interacted with each other in multiple genres ranging from comedy to tragedy. I shared these stories with my friends, and it led to me creating a deviantart account where I could share my stories with fellow fans. I began to draw more, even though I wasn't particularly skilled. (I still draw poorly for those of you who ask) I created youtube videos: most of them AMVS. Even some of my first cosplays involved Ben 10: at my first convention two years ago I was Gwen Tennyson. 

And for the first time in my life I joined a fan community. Deviantart was the main place where I could talk to other fans. We shared fanart and fanfiction and discussed the what was going on in the shows. There have been many people, some who are still around, others who have left, that I established meaningful connections with and consider to be my friends. And even though I probably will never meet them, I value them just like any other of my friends that I have.

So, I'd like to say thank you. To the writers: The Man of Action team, Dwayne Mc Duffie, Derrick J Watt, and countless others who spent so much time coming up with the stories that touched us all. To the artists and animators who drew, animated, and put so much detail into every scene. To the voice actors: Tara Strong, Meagan Smith, Paul Eiding, Dee Bradley Baker, Yuri Lowenthal, Ashley Johnson, Greg Cipes, Bumper Robinson, and many others who brought life to the characters that have resonated so strongly with the fans and become favorites. To my fellow fans for bonding over the four series together, and supporting each other through the good and the bad. Thank you. Thank you so much for making Ben 10 into the series that it is. It's been five fantastic years for me, and whether you've been here since 2005 or the beginning of this year, I hope you've had a blast too.


End file.
